Why the Cowboys Will Forever be "America's Team"?

The term America’s Team was coined because NFL FIlms was tired about another episode on next year’s team. It was NEVER about success, in fact the opposite. Yet while fiming, they noticed the number of fans at the away games.

Dallas provided some reasons to exctie the fans – they were the good guys – guys in white hats and always in the white jerseys. The uniform was designed for the TV edge – simple but high contrast to the other teams. Tex Schramm was very close to Pete Roselle and guided the league into the TV age. That included the cheerleaders, but also Monday NIght Football with Dandy Don. They accepted a Thanksgiving Day game when nobody would with only one request – to be the home team forever.

Roger Staubach of the Naval Academy was typical of the stars of a team that wore stars. He and Tom Landry were the good guys. The team was a natural media theme to play against the other teams – who could forget Cowboys and Redskins.

They played against their rivals in the biggest TV markets twice a year. Dallas was not a natural fit for the NFL East and never has been, but nobody sane wanted to break up the ratings.

The new team were innovators – they scouted small colleges and other sports to find talent. They used new fangled computers – think Jetson age comparison to other teams. Computers and the Doomsday Defense versus Steelers – new versus old. Young upstart against the old regimes. The good guys using technology to beat the Red Menace.

The sainted Tom Landry was a walking innovator. He had smaller smarter guys versus the behemoths and used new formations and motion. Nobody could see TL as the control freak that he was, but everyone saw the team execute. This led to a competiitive advantage over other teams that lasted until the league set up the combine to minimize the edge.

After the combine, other teams caught up, but the second dynasty was founded by Jerry as he found new revenues to pay for good talent. That lasted until the salary cap.

It’s not a label or award handed out every few years to a certain team, it’s the Cowboys freaking nickname!

I’m actually putting together something similar. You hit on a few points I didn’t, but the main point is similar…I just did it with a different twist.

The Cowboys are America’s Team, hands down, no debate (IMO). As Nets2410 just said above, it’s a nickname. You don’t lose a nickname. If someone disagrees, so be it, but they can go find their own nickname (The Dream Team for example).

I want to win. Landry and Staubach . Jimmy and Troy. You can’t put Jason and Tony in that group. Winning means more to me than the moniker. Ask a non Dallas fan who they think of when they think of Dallas and the answer will always be Jerry. That is the problem.

The current young generation has never seen Dallas do squat. The know Dallas as the Jerry team. The moniker of America’s team will stick but it won’t ever have the same meaning as Dallas continues to flounder under it’s current regime. The Cowboys are a laughing stock right now. Jerry has created a joke in the nfl. No fan of other teams fear Dallas. Other teams don’t fear Dallas.

America’s team……blah…….give me wins.

nothing against the boys. was rooting for you all the way in week 17 vs the giants, but that was more becuase since I moved to texas recently, i would have had a chance to go to dallas and watch the packers play there. now, they have to go to the giants crappy stadium with their uber-douche bunch of cheaters (in reference to week 2 falling down against the rams). now if I can get a ticket, the closest there is is an 8-9 hour drive to Houston.

you make a lot of valid points, such as legacy, hating, and the glitz and glam of the boys. I just point back to the Vince Lombardi trophy, the 13 Championships, the Ice Bowl, and the Mecca of NFL stadiums – Lambeau Field (you can have the best of the new ones – I’ll take the best of the old one’s thank you) for our justification to be called America’s Team.

I’ve been all around the world, and I’ve seen a lot of Cowboy fans, so perhaps, you’re more the world’s football team, and if you agree to that, you’ll let us packers have this little corner of the world we call america. . . and we’ll do out best to go out and demolish your rivals for you next year, just return the favor and lay the smackdown on those upstarts, the Lions.

Good luck this upcoming season, up until we meet in the playoffs.

I’m new at posting, but here goes. Does anyone know WHY the Cowboys are called “America’s Team”?? In 1978 a narrator, Bob Ryan (now Vice-President and editor-in-chief of NFL films), coined the phrase for them BECAUSE “they appeared on tv so often and were as familiar to the public as presidents and celebrities”. Bob noticed that no matter where they played, at home or away, there were always alot of people with Cowboys jerseys, hats, and pennants, etc. Also, their games were the most televised. They had the most away fans and were the most popular team, so he coined the term “America’s Team” for THEM.

I keep saying that whether the Cowboys are winning OR losing, they will ALWAYS be “America’s Team”! It’s THEIR name, regardless. I am very passionate about the Cowboys and I am very passionate that this nickname belongs to them.